Sci-Fi Storm

Everyone wants a streaming service – and they need content to drive it…Disney is no different on that bandwagon, and head mouse Bob Iger announced today that one of the original series planned for their service is a live-action Star Wars series.

No real details were given – it was mentioned along with content based on other franchises such as Marvel, Monsters, Inc., and High School Musical – but speculation is growing that they might revive the long dormant live-action series that Lucas touted and we last heard might get life at ABC.

We’re probably some distance away from such a show, so there is plenty of time to speculate and dream…

SYFY has commissioned a pilot for a TV adaptation of the graphic novel Deadly Class, and has set the cast of series regulars and already locked in some guest stars as well.

Deadly Class follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques, and his own adolescent uncertainties may prove fatal. Set against the backdrop of late 80s counter culture, Deadly Class is a coming of age journey unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

Benedict Wong is set for the role of Master Lin, the headmaster of the School for the Deadly Arts. Deadly and feared. He’s an ever-changing chameleon who keeps his students desperate for his approval. British actor Wong is best known for his roles in Dr. Strange, The Martian, and recently starred in Marco Polo. Recent television credits include Black Mirror: Hated In The Nation, Electric Dreams and Blade Runner: Nexus Dawn. Next year Wong will star in Avengers: Infinity War and Alex Garland’s Annihilation. Wong is repped by himself and Attorney Robert Wallerstein.

Benjamin Wadsworth will play Marcus. At one point we were all Marcus, an awkward outcast full of social anxiety struggling to find his place in the cold and brutal world of high school. Marcus is bottled rage, if his life had been normal this kid might have been an artist, even a poet. Instead he’s had to survive life on the streets of San Francisco. His eyes show it. He’s morally centered in an unethical world. Wadsworth was last seen in the hit series finale episode of Teen Wolf. Just last year he played the leading role of Henry in the TV pilot adaptation of the feature film, Let The Right One In. Wadsworth is from Houston, Texas and is repped by UTA, Principato-Young and Myman, Greenspan, Fineman, Fox, & Light LLP.

Lana Condor will play the role of “Saya,” mysterious and guarded with a deadly reputation. Saya was banished from one of the top Yakuza clans in Japan, sent to the School for the Deadly Arts to redeem herself. Driven to be the valedictorian, nothing will stand in her way. In 2016, Condor made her feature film debut in X-Men: Apocalypse. In 2017, Condor appeared in Patriot’s Day alongside Mark Wahlberg and as Allison in James Franco’s High School Lover. She can next be seen as Koyomi in James Cameron’s highly anticipated film, Alita: Battle Angel out in 2018. Condor is represented by ICM and attorney Matt Rosen.
(continue reading…)

I’m guessing that Disney likes what it sees in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi – the Mouse House announced today that Johnson will develop a new trilogy in the Star Wars universe, separate from the existing Skywalker saga, where he will “introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”

Johnson will work with long-time collaborator Ram Bergman.

“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”

“We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi,” Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. “Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films.”

I was curious as to what would happen when they finally conclude the Skywalker saga – now we have our answer!